Carlos Yulo is already looking past the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. After winning two gold medals in Japan, he said the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics remain his next major target, though he admitted the challenge is a heavy one.
“Of course. Ina-eye ko pa rin po siya. And siyempre, sobrang bigat po nun. Pero ’di siya imposible. Pagtatrabahuhan ko po ’yun,” Yulo said.
The two-time Olympic champion will carry fresh momentum into the next Olympic cycle. On Friday, he won the men’s vault final at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium, a day after taking the men’s floor exercise title. The two victories gave him back-to-back individual crowns and account for the Philippines’ first two gold medals of the Games.
The vault result stayed in doubt until the final attempt. Iran’s Mahdi Olfati posted a 15.100 on his first vault, better than either of Yulo’s marks. On his second attempt, however, Olfati took two skips on the landing and scored just 13.966. That left Yulo’s average of 14.599, from a 14.733 and a 14.466, on top.
Yulo said the road to Nagoya was difficult for the entire team, and that the struggle is part of what he is taking with him going forward.
“Maraming taong hindi nakakaalam kung ano yung dinanas namin sa training camp, and dinanas namin para mapunta dito,” he said.
“Hindi ko na kailangang i-share kahit kanino. Nasa sa amin na ’yun. Nasa puso na namin ’yun lahat. So, ayun yung pinanghahawakan ko po ngayon. Yung faith ko, mas nag-grow po.”
He said the competition deepened his faith, largely because of how hard the preparations had been.
“Mas lalo, mas na-build yung faith ko dito sa competition na ito. Grabe. Sobrang nahirapan kami lahat,” Yulo said.
That faith also carried him through the days before the vault final, when he struggled to execute his routines properly in practice.
“So, binigay ko po talaga sa Kanya yung worry ko. And yung inistress ko ng mga nakaraang araw kasi hindi ko siya magawa properly. So, ’yun po,” he said.
Yulo said he entered the final without doubting himself, having left the outcome to God.
“Wala talaga po eh. Kasi nag-lean talaga po ako sa dasal ko po na, ‘Lord, Ikaw na po bahala. Ibigay ko yung best ko. Kung para sa akin ito talaga, kahit iwasan ko ito, hindi ito magmi-mintis,’” Yulo said.
His focus, he said, was on giving his all rather than on the result.
“Wala, wala akong doubt kasi binigay ko na yung lahat-lahat po eh,” Yulo said.
